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Brew & Bar-B-Que
Using a morter & pestle, but a coffer grinder works fine. I usually look up in the spice cabinet & think about what would go with the meat & brew of the evening.
Most rubs can be used as the spices for a marinade, if you want to let it sit for a while, or you can use it as a mop (basting while grilling).
Like one of my basics is- chili powder, cumin, garllc pepper, paprika, all ground, just dump 'em in the mortar, grind up & rub on the meat.
I want to hear about Ricka182 and that dry aging technique with a rub.
Tell me more about good dry aging at home!!!! And the challenges associated with doing it with a rub.
brewchez wrote:
I want to hear about Ricka182 and that dry aging technique with a rub.
Tell me more about good dry aging at home!!!! And the challenges associated with doing it with a rub.
Well, first things first....only top quality meat will work...like USDA Prime or Choice, yield grade 1 or 2 only! It has to be this good, or you'll waste your time and money. Also, you can't dry age just one steak. You have to get a whole rib-eye or loin, which are damn tasty anyway...also, never trim the fat..never trim the fat!! You need the fat to help prevent spoiling on the outside. Once you get your slab o' cow, you can use a rub. I use some basic spices and herbs, paprika, basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper, all-spice, whatever I have, or feel like imparting the flavor of. The spices need to be ground pretty good, and then completely coated on the meat. Press the spices into the meat, but so hard the meat gets flat. If there's any little nooks, you can stuff a little in there, but not too much. You'll need to wrap the meat. I use a few white kitchen towels, that have been cleaned, and cleaned again. Remember, these will come into contact with the raw meat, so it can't be too clean. Once wrapped, place the meat on the low shelf in the fridge. It needs to be near freezing temperature to age correctly. As it ages, the juices are drawn into the meat to provide that hearty taste. Change the towels daily. You can re-use the towels, but they must be cleaned properly. Soak in cold water overnight, and then again in cold water with salt. This will remove any blood and gunk; then throw in the washer machine as normal. Let the meat age for at least 21 days. Afterwards, you just trim off what you want. You should read up on cutting meat correctly if you don't know how. There will some mold forming on the outer edges, which is normal in dry aging. You can expect to lose up to 20% of the weight due to this mold. Don't eat it. This is why you only find dry-aged beef in the most expensive restaurants. Take the newly cut steaks, and grill them very slowly. If you want to store them, use freezer wrap, and freeze them. They will store for up to 6 months.
I'm now late for a meeting, so I'll read through later to see if I can add anything, but that's basic recipe for dead cow al dente!!
Sounds great. How about venison?
ricka182:
thanks for that firsthand insight.
How large of a ribeye or loin would you recommend, is there something that would be too small? To big?
I can envision that if I was going to do this I'd like enough that I could produce a few steaks that I could freeze.
You also made an interesting point about cutting meat. If you have a link to something on the web relating to what you mean exactly, I would be mucho thankful.
Brewski wrote:
Sounds great. How about venison?
I've never dry aged venison, but I would think you could do it the same method....
brewchez wrote:
ricka182:
thanks for that firsthand insight.
How large of a ribeye or loin would you recommend, is there something that would be too small? To big?
I can envision that if I was going to do this I'd like enough that I could produce a few steaks that I could freeze.
You also made an interesting point about cutting meat. If you have a link to something on the web relating to what you mean exactly, I would be mucho thankful.
No problemo....I don't think you could go too big...I suppose the bigger the cow, the more beef you get. Most butcher shops will carry whole cuts of meat. You probably won't find at your local supermarket. There is one around here, Roche Brothers, but they are a bit pricy. There's also McKinnions in Everett, and they have some of the best damn meat anywhere. I usually get about 3 or 4 good hearty meals from my cuts. I haven't done it in a while, but as soon as I move sometime this month, I'll be resuming that, and brewing of course.
As for cutting meat, you can look here http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-002/458-002.html for some meat carving tips, which is different than cutting, to give you an idea. I do have another site that I refer to, with good pics of each cut. I'll see if I can find it on my home PC later, and post it for you to enjoy.
Also, just a random tidbit...I know we had a discussion on spent grains in another thread, and whether or not a horse would eat them. If anyone had heard of Tajima or Wagyu beef, more commonly called Kobe beef, they enjoy beer mash as part of their final diet. They also get a massage everyday......the reason it is rare and expensive is because there may be only 250 of these cows, in the world. Most farms only have between 3-8, because of the cost to care for them......
The horses really liked them. They keep asking for more.
My two favorites are both for pork or chicken:
Java Rub:
4 Tbl - Espresso grind Coffee
1 1/2 Tbl - Kosher Salt
2 Tbl - Light Brown Sugar
2 Tbl - Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbl - Paprika
1 tsp - Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp - Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp - Cayenne
Lambic Marinade
1 1/2 C - Fruit Lambic (I usually use cherry)
1/4 C - Good Olive Oil
1 Clove - Fresh garlic, minced fine
3 Tbl - Fresh Tarragon, minced (or half that dried)
--For the Java Rub, put it on whatever pork or chicken you are going to grill a good two hours before it hits the flame, so that the oils in the pepper and coffee can seep into the meat. The closer to application that you can grind the pepper and coffee, the better, as the best flavors in both are volatile oils and will evaporate if they aren't used promptly.
-- The lambic marinade is simple, give the meats a good six hours (under refrigeration, please) to soak up the goodies and then salt and pepper the meat liberally before putting it on the grill. It is pretty subtle, so make sure you aren't planning on using any really "loud" sauces or sides.
Enjoy!
-R
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